Five years ago I began the rather daunting task of beginning to write my first novel. Like most writers, I’ve found various displacement activties to do anything other instead of actually sit down and write! This include visiting Facebook and Twitter, Rightmove, gardening, cleaning the oven, tidying up drawers, baking, flicking through magazines, planning various holidays, cleaning out the fire place, and just about anything other than hitting the keyboard.

However, my first novel has been written and I’m very, very excited about it. Now I can’t wait for it to be out there and read. However, the next stage is as equally daunting – it involves getting an agent, then followed by a publisher. It does feel very much as though I have as much chance as winning the lottery at the moment, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, and all that.

If you want a sneak preview of my novel, I have had a section included in Matter, Sheffield Hallam’s showcase publication of best writing from the Masters Course in Writing. It is their fifteenth edition, and also has included work from poets and prose from established writers (Maurice Riordan, Jo Shapcott, Ruby Robinson, Patrick McGuiness, Conor O’Callaghan and Katherine Towers to name but a few). It is available from Waterstones in Sheffield and can also be ordered viahttp://www.makingwritingmatter.co.uk

So that’s what I’ll be doing for the next few weeks -sending off work to agents, along with working on my next novel, gardening and finding delicious things to cook and eat!